Hair clasp or barrette

ABSTRACT

A hairclasp of the automatic kind which springs open when its catch is released and comprises a base provided with a decorative top, a tongue hinged at one end to the base and at its other end releasably connected to the base by means of the catch and a spring of bow shape bearing at its ends on the base and at an intermediate portion on the tongue. The catch comprises at least one, but preferably two hooks, bent up from the base and urged into engagement with keepers on the tongue to hold the clasp closed, and a release member formed by an extension of the spring beyond its bearing on the base near the hooks. The release member co-operates with cam surfaces on the hooks so shaped that when the release member is pressed towards the base, the hooks are urged apart and out of engagement with the keepers and the tongue springs open.

[ Apr. 23, 1974 HAIR CLASP OR BARRETTE [75] Inventor: Malcolm Laughton, Birmingham,"

England [73] Assignee: Lady Jayne (Hair Products) Limited, Birmingham, England [22] Filed: Dec. 27, 1972 [21] Appl. No.2 318,762

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 28, 1971 Great Britain 60238/71 [52] U.S. Cl 132/48 R [51] Int. Cl. A45d 8/24 [58] Field of Search.... 132/48 R, 46 R; 24/248 HC, 24/252 HC, 258; 128/354 Primary Examiner--Antonio F. Guida Assistant Examiner-Gregory E. McNeill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kemon, Palmer & Estabrook [57] ABSTRACT A hairclasp of the automatic kind which springs open when its catch is released and comprises a base provided with a decorative top, a tongue hinged at one end to the base and at its other end releasably connected to the base by means of the catch and a spring of bow shape bearing at its ends on the base and at an intermediate portion on the tongue. The catch comprises at least one, but preferably two hooks, bent up from the base and urged into engagement with keepers on the tongue to hold the clasp closed, and a release member formed by an extension of the spring beyond its bearing on the base near the hooks. The release member co-operates with cam surfaces on the hooks so shaped that when the release member is pressed towards the base, the hooks are urged apart and out of engagement with the keepers and the tongue springs open.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures HAIR CLASP on BARRETTE This invention relates to hair clasps or barrettes of the so-called automatic" kind comprising a base providedwith a decorative top or covering or adapted to be covered by decorative material'or to be attached to a decorative top, a tongue hinged at its one end to the base and at its other end eonnectible to the base by a releasable catch and a spring of bow shape bearing at its ends on the base and at an intermediate portion on the tongue. In use the tongue is pushed under a lock of hair and the tongue and base are closed, gripping the hair between the spring and tongue. The catch engages automatically when the clasp is closed and the tongue is pressed towards the base but the description automatic arises more from the fact that when the catch release is actuated the tongue springs open. A hair clasp or barrette of this so-called automatic type will hereinafter be referred to as a hair clasp of the kind specified.

The aim of thepresent invention is to improve hair clasps of the kind specified and, in particular, to provide a hair clasp of simple manufacture and assembly.

The present invention consists in a hair clasp of the kind specified wherein the catch comprises at least one hook extending from the base towards the tongue and urged into engagement with a keeper on the tongue to hold the clasp closed, and a release member formed by an extension of the spring beyond its bearing on the base near the hook, the release member extending away from the base and co-operating with a cam surface on the hook shaped to urge the hook out of engagement with the keeper when the release member is pressed towards the base.

If there is only one hook it may, for example, be urged in the longitudinal direction of the clasp and engage a keeper formed by the end or in an opening through the tongue, the hook passing through an aperture in the release member extension of the spring, the edge of the aperture engaging a cam surface on the adjacent part of the hook.

We prefer, however, to provide two hooks which face one another and receive the tongue between them, the keeper associated with each hook being formed in the adjacent edge of the tongue. The hooks may be made in one piece with the tongue from sheet metal and the cam surfaces be formed by inclined portions of the faces of the hooks or by the edges of inwardly turned flanges on the hooks between the tongue and the base.

The base and spring may also be made from sheet metal and by providing pivotal formations on the tongue and in a pair of ears bent up from the base, the functional part of the clasp can be made up from only three sheet metal components which can readily be assembled. Such simplicity is of great advantage in manufacture.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a clasp according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled clasp, attached toa decorative top;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of theassembled clasp in the open position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, end view of the clasp;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, longitudinal sectional view of one end of the clasp; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, end view similar to FIG. 4 of a modification.

The three sheet metal components making up the functional part of the clasp are shown separated in FIG. 1. They are a base 1, a spring 2 and a tongue 3.

The base 1 has a bowed main part 4 stiffened by parallel longitudinal ribs 5 and pierced at 6 for attachment to a decorative top 7 of plastics or other suitable material. At one end the main part 4 is provided with a pair of pivot arms 8 formed in the one-piece blank from which the whole base is made. The arms are bent up parallel to one another and lugs 9 formed on their edges are bent inwards leaving a small gap between the base and their edges adjacent to it. Pivot holes 10 are pierced in the upper ends of the arms 8.

At the opposite end of the main part 4 hooks 11 are provided also formed in the blank and bent up at right angles to the base. The effective tips of the hooks are indicated at 12 and are formed on small inturned wings in the form of flanges on the side of the hooks nearest the pivot arms 8. On the opposite sides of the hooks flanges 13 are provided. The edges of these flanges are inclined and are directed inwards and away from the base to form cam surfaces 14. Gaps 15 are left between the main part 4 of the base and the adjacent ends of the flanges 13 to allow the hooks freedom of movement relative to the main part 4. For a similar reason the end of the main part 4 is cutaway at 16 between the hooks 1 1.

The spring 2 is made in one piece from spring steel. It is of generally similar width to the main part 4 of the base except for two neck portions 17 which separate bearing pads 18 and 19 from a platform 20. The spring is bowed between the bearing pads 18 and 19 and the pads 18 and 19 are curved in the opposite direction so that they can rock and slide on the base 1 when the spring is deflected. An extension of the spring beyond the pad 19 and curving sharply away from the base forms a release member 21 for the catch mechanism of the clasp. The platform 20 which is to hold the hair against the tongue is stiffened by a central rib 22 and by upturned platform edges parallel to the rib 22. By contrast, in the pad 19 a rectangular opening 23 is pierced to allow the release member 21 greater flexibility, more especially to allow it to twist relative to the rest of the spring. Side edges 24 of the release member areupturned to stiffen the release member itself and to form follower portions to engage the cam'surfaces 14 on the hooks. Where the pad 18 joins the adjacent neck, projecting shoulders 25 are provided. The width of the spring across the shoulders 25 is greater than the distance apart of the pivot arms 8 on the base. Similar shoulders 26 are formed close to the junction of the release member 21 with the pad 19. i

The tongue 3'has a similar curvature to the main part 4 of the base 1. A long central slot 27 is crossed by two bridges 28 and surrounded by a stiffening rib 29. At 1 one end the tongue is formed with lateral pivot projections 30 to engage the pivot holes 10 in the pivot arms 8 of the base. At the other end the side edges of the tongue 3 are slightly cut away and slightly upturned at this part to constitute keepers 31 to be engaged by the tips 12 of the-hooks. Beyond the keepers 31 the edges 32 of the tongue are upturned to nest closely with the similar shape of the release member 21.

The three components shown in FIG. 1 are assembled to form the completed clasp of FIGS. 2 to 5 as follows:

The release member 21 of the spring 2 is inserted in the direction outwards from the middle of the base 1, through the widest part of the gap between the cam surfaces 14 immediately under the tips 12 of the hooks, until the shoulders 26 abut the edges of the main parts of the hooks. The bowing of the spring is increased until its other end can be inserted into the gaps between the lugs 9 and the main part 4 of the base. The spring is then released. It is prevented from actually becoming disengaged from the base by the shoulders 25 and 26 but is allowed some freedom of endwise movement. The tongue is fitted simply by entering its pivot projections 30 into the pivot holes 10 in the pivot arms 8. The arms 8 can be sprung apart enough for this purposes.

To close the clasp the tongue 3 is swung about its pivot until the bridge 28 nearest the pivot meets the spring. Further closing movement tends to flatten or stress the spring until the keepers 31 rest on edges 33 of the flanges forming the tips 12 of the hooks. The

edges 33 are inclined so that as the tongue is pressed towards the base the hooks 11 are separated until the tips 12 can snap over the keeper edges and the clasp is held shut. The upturned edges of the keeper portions of the tongue provide a good bearing surface for engagement with the inclined edges 33 so that the action of separating the hooks and engaging the tips 12 with the keepers 31 occurs smoothly. The flexibility afforded the spring by the opening 23 allows the spring to bear evenly on the tongue and to urge the keeper edges of the tongue equally into engagement with the tips of the two hooks. In this closed condition the pads 18'and l9 bear on the ends of the main part 4 of the base and the end of the tongue rests on the release member 21 which projects beyond it. The middle of the tongue 3 bears on the platform and the rib 22 enters the slot 27 between the two bridges 28.

To release the clasp the release member 21 is pressed towards the base so that its edges bear on the cam surfaces 14 and force the hooks apart. The slope of the cam surfaces is gradual so that only moderate pressure is necessary on the release member to open the clasp. At the same time the pressure of the platform 20 on the tongue 3 is increased so that when the tips 12 release it, the tongue springs open.

The hair clasp described above is simple to manufacture, each of the three components of FIG. 1 can be made in a single pressing operation, and convenient to assemble. These are advantages which lower production costs.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative form of the hooks 11 on the base 1. The hooks in this alternative embodiment are formed in one piece with the base and are bent upwards from the base initially at right angles, shown by the portion 34. The hooks then have inclined surfaces 35 which extend beyond the portion 34 in a direction inwards and away from the base to form'cam surfaces 36. The portion 37 on each hook is again at right angles to the base and the effective tips 12 of the hooks are the same as in the embodiment previously described. The release member 21 of the spring 2 engages the cam surfaces 36 in the same manner as previously described, as do the tongue 3 and tips of the hooks 12.

The advantage of having the cam surfaces 36 formed from the extending arms of the hooks is that the inclined surfaces 35 provide a line contact along the length of the hooks rather than an edge contact between the release member 21 and the cam surfaces. This allows the catch mechanism to be actuated easily and without the need for great pressure to be applied to the release member.

I claim:

1. A hair clasp comprising in combination a base provided with a decorative top, a releasable catch device incorporated in said base, a tongue hinged at its one end to said base and at its other end releasably connected to said base by said catch device, and a spring of bow shape bearing at its ends on said base and at an intermediate portion on said tongue, said tongue springing open when said catch device is released, wherein said catch device comprises a keeper on said tongue, and at least one hook extending from said base towards said tongue and urged into engagement with said keeper to hold said clasp closed, a cam surface on said hook and a release member formed by an extension of said spring beyond its bearing on said base near said hook, said cam surface being shaped to urge said hook out of engagement with said keeper when said release member is pressed towards said base.

2. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which said catch device comprises two hooks, which face each other and receive said tongue between them, said keeper associated with each hook being formed in the adjacent edge of said tongue.

3. A hair clasp according to claim 2 in which said hooks are formed in one piece with said base, each hook being bent up from said base.

4. A hair clasp according to claim 3 in which each hook has an inturned flange with an inclined edge di rected inwards and away from said base.

5. A hair clasp according to claim 4 in which the main part of said base and adjacent edge of said inclined-edge flange on said hook define between them a gap, said gap allowing said hook to move relative to the main part of said base.

6. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which said catch device comprises two hooks formed in one piece with said base and being bent up from said base, each hook being formed with an inclined surface directed inwards and away from said base and forming said cam surface, said two hooks facing each other and receiving said tongue between them.

7. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which said hook has a small inturned wing on which the effective tip of said hook is formed.

8. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which said base has two upwardly extending pivot arms formed one on each side of and in one piece with said base at the opposite end from said catch device, each pivot arm having a pivot hole near its free end and an inwardly turned lug near its end adjacent to said base.

9. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which there are two upwardly extending pivot arms on said base, one on each side and at the opposite end from said catch device, each pivot arm having a pivot hole near its free end and an inwardly turned lug near its end adjac ent to said base and in which one end of said spring locates under said lugs on said pivot arms and the other jacent to said base and in which at one end said tongue has two lateral pivot projections adapted to engage said pivot holes in said pivot arms and at the other end each edge of said tongue is dished and slightly upturned to form two keepers which engage under the tips of the 

1. A hair clasp comprising in combination a base provided with a decorative top, a releasable catch device incorporated iN said base, a tongue hinged at its one end to said base and at its other end releasably connected to said base by said catch device, and a spring of bow shape bearing at its ends on said base and at an intermediate portion on said tongue, said tongue springing open when said catch device is released, wherein said catch device comprises a keeper on said tongue, and at least one hook extending from said base towards said tongue and urged into engagement with said keeper to hold said clasp closed, a cam surface on said hook and a release member formed by an extension of said spring beyond its bearing on said base near said hook, said cam surface being shaped to urge said hook out of engagement with said keeper when said release member is pressed towards said base.
 2. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which said catch device comprises two hooks, which face each other and receive said tongue between them, said keeper associated with each hook being formed in the adjacent edge of said tongue.
 3. A hair clasp according to claim 2 in which said hooks are formed in one piece with said base, each hook being bent up from said base.
 4. A hair clasp according to claim 3 in which each hook has an inturned flange with an inclined edge directed inwards and away from said base.
 5. A hair clasp according to claim 4 in which the main part of said base and adjacent edge of said inclined-edge flange on said hook define between them a gap, said gap allowing said hook to move relative to the main part of said base.
 6. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which said catch device comprises two hooks formed in one piece with said base and being bent up from said base, each hook being formed with an inclined surface directed inwards and away from said base and forming said cam surface, said two hooks facing each other and receiving said tongue between them.
 7. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which said hook has a small inturned wing on which the effective tip of said hook is formed.
 8. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which said base has two upwardly extending pivot arms formed one on each side of and in one piece with said base at the opposite end from said catch device, each pivot arm having a pivot hole near its free end and an inwardly turned lug near its end adjacent to said base.
 9. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which there are two upwardly extending pivot arms on said base, one on each side and at the opposite end from said catch device, each pivot arm having a pivot hole near its free end and an inwardly turned lug near its end adjacent to said base and in which one end of said spring locates under said lugs on said pivot arms and the other end bears on said base near said hook and extends underneath and beyond said hook to form said release member for said catch device.
 10. A hair clasp according to claim 1 in which there are two upwardly extending pivot arms on said base, one on each side and at the opposite end from said catch device, each pivot arm having a pivot hole near its free end and an inwardly turned lug near its end adjacent to said base and in which at one end said tongue has two lateral pivot projections adapted to engage said pivot holes in said pivot arms and at the other end each edge of said tongue is dished and slightly upturned to form two keepers which engage under the tips of the hooks. 